Translated from 'Nordmændene i Amerika' by Martin Ulvestad, 1907. Madison County Nils Nilsen from Valders and a veteran of the War with the South was the first Norwegian in this county. He settled in the vicinity of Newman Grove in 1867 where there is now a large Norwegian settlement. In the 80s he moved to Dakota where he later died. Next after Nils Nilsen came his father, who was also called Nils, and a pair of relatives, Haldor Halvorsen and Anders Larsen (Kreft-Anders), all from Valders. Newman Grove was an army camp at that time and life in the area was dangerous. It often happened that the settlers were shot at by the Indians. But the gunshot wounds were not always dangerous. Gunder Hamre was the first merchant in Newman Grove. He opened a store in 1872. People reckoned his worth at $20,000 but it was certainly not that much. He was always a bachelor and a remarkably queer duck he was! For his countrymen here he was both bad and good. The people were poor and he sold on credit. So he took mortgages for everything they had, at 10 percent interest. When fall came they paid a portion of their debt with new papers for the remainder - always at 10 percent interest. It went on credit all the time. The farmers, however, did not wish to get their life necessities from gentler hands with someone else. But the credit he gave was tempting. Besides he was popular and always full of jokes. And then the way he dressed! He looked worse than a tramp. Once, when he was at West Point to sell five horses to a liveryman, he was barefoot, ragged and dirty. And when he went into the bank to cash a check for several hundred dollars that he had received for the horses, the bank teller was frightened and sent a clerk to the liveryman with the request that he come to the bank immediately. He asked him if the man who presented the check was Gunder Hamre and when he was told yes, the money was paid out quickly. Hamre's name became known throughout the whole State. Once he went to Columbus to purchase goods for his store. The weather was cold and he had wrapped some coffee sacks around his legs. Like that he went in to the wholesaler and presented a big order for supplies. He asked how long it would take to fill the order. Three hours, was the answer. He left saying he would be back before the precise hour. However the wholesaler and his clerk were suspicious and no goods were packed for him. They could not believe that anyone with his appearance would come to collect them, let alone pay for them. But he came. And when he asked how much the goods cost he put a good face on things and said $500.00, whereupon Gunder took out his billfold and counted out the requested amount without making a visible dent in his money roll. Now the clerks moved quickly. It did not take long before the goods were ready. At Grand Island he was refused food at a hotel if he did not pay in advance. The hotelkeeper believed he had a vagabond on his premises. Gunder took out his billfold and immediately pulled out a 20-dollar bill whereupon the hotelkeeper was as bewildered as he was taken aback. Needless to say, our countryman now received princely treatment. Another time (after he had quit the store business) a land company was fooled by his appearance. He went into the office with the description of a large piece of land and asked if it was for sale and for how much. Yes, it was for sale and they quoted a low price, they wished to have a bit of fun with him for they could not believe that he meant or had the means to buy what he asked about. However he took them at their word and said, "Give me the papers for the land, here is the money." And they had to obey. Appearances are deceptive, or something similar, he said as he left. This was told to me by a reliable man, one of his old neighbours. He (Hamre) died suddenly alone in a barn. His heirs left with his money. And so ends the account of Newman Grove's first businessman and Madison County's first Norwegian official (County Commissioner). He gained that position at the end of the 70s. The first Norwegian congregation in this county (and the first in the State) was established in Newman Grove in 1873 by Pastor Ole Torgersen, belonging to Hauge's Synod. In this settlement which stretches to the southwest corner of Madison and the adjacent parts of Boone and Platte Counties there are now 5 Norwegian congregations and 5 churches, 3 of the congregations belong to The Norwegian Synod and 2 to Hauge's Synod.